Why the spike of divorce filings in January?

Posted on Dec 26, 2020 in Columns, Feature Stories

By Nancy L. Rommelmann PLLC
Family Law Attorney –

Nancy L. Rommelmann PLLC

Statistics show that filing for divorce is significantly higher in the month of January.  Reasons for this include not disrupting the “family” holidays during November and December.

It’s common for people to reflect on their lives at

the end of a year and at times perceive their unhappiness is attributable to their spouse and seek divorce to remove their pain. Some counselors advise you that the best time to seek a divorce is when you have a clear understanding about what your needs are and who you really are. If you partake in addictive behavior (alcohol, drugs – prescriptive or illegal – pornography, etc.), then likely your spouse is not your problem. You need to work through your issues with a competent counselor and then assess your marital relationship to honestly determine if it truly is the source of your unhappiness. Then, determine whether filing for divorce is the right path for you.

My recommendation when considering divorce is to first put serious effort into rebuilding your marriage.  It’s more rewarding and likely cheaper!

How to rebuild your marriage?
For starters:

  1. Break old habits.
  2. Start new routines.
  3. Rebuild your friendship.

If divorce is the path you choose, then prepare yourself for divorce by doing the following:

  1. Create a list of all of your assets and debts, with supporting documents.
  2. Take an inventory of all personal property.
  3. Make a list of all separate property. (property you had prior to marriage or property that was inherited).
  4. If you don’t have much of a credit history, start your own credit history, and open credit cards in your name only.
  5. Get a copy of your credit report to insure that

your spouse is not dissipating marital assets on significant others. If you are concerned that your soon to be ex-spouse might borrow money in your name, you might want to sign up for a credit monitoring service.

“Love might be about starting over with your spouse and creating something better!”